Circles of latitude between the 55th parallel north and the 60th parallel north

The 56th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 56 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean. At this latitude the sun is visible for 17 hours, 37 minutes during the summer solstice and 6 hours, 57 minutes during the winter solstice. Around the world Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 56° north passes through: : ==57th parallel north==

The 57th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 57 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean. At this latitude the sun is visible for 17 hours, 53 minutes during the summer solstice and 6 hours, 43 minutes during the winter solstice. On June 21, the sun is at 56.44 degrees in the sky and on December 21, the sun is at 9.56 degrees in the sky. During the summer solstice, nighttime does not get beyond nautical twilight, a condition which lasts throughout the month of June. It is possible to view both astronomical dawn and dusk every day of the month of April. The maximum altitude of the Sun is > 18.00º in October and > 11.00º in November. The only capital city on the 57th parallel north is Riga. Around the world Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 57° north passes through: : ==58th parallel north==

The 58th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 58 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean. At this latitude the Sun is visible for 18 hours, 11 minutes during the summer solstice and 6 hours, 27 minutes during the winter solstice. Around the world Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 58° north passes through: : Climate In general, this parallel sees significant differences in temperature and precipitation with proximity to warm ocean currents. The moderation from the Gulf Stream ensures a moderate oceanic climate in much of Western Europe and on the immediate coastline of Alaska, whereas moving inland on continental masses, subarctic climates predominate as the dark winters dominate the temperature cycle. In the transitional area centred on the Baltic Sea this latitude sees a humid continental climate with warm summers and snowy winters somewhat below freezing. Where cold ocean currents dominate such as near Hudson Bay the climate is polar, rendering in severe winter conditions and very subdued summers. This type of climate is seen in the surroundings of Inukjuak in Quebec, Canada, where the sea ice eliminates winter moderation, but the thawing of the cold water renders in very cool summers as well. In more continental cold areas such as these winters commonly go below even during the day. Further west in inland areas winters are often as severe, but summers average above , similar to the Baltic region where climates are much gentler. ==59th parallel north==

The 59th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 59 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean. At this latitude the Sun is visible for 18 hours, 30 minutes during the summer solstice and 6 hours, 11 minutes during the winter solstice. If latitude in northern hemisphere is 59°45′ or smaller, every day in August can view both nautical dawn and nautical dusk. Around the world Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 59° north passes through: : Notable cities and towns on 59°N • Stockholm, Stockholm County, Sweden • Tallinn, Harju County, Estonia • Magadan, Magadan Oblast, Russia ==60th parallel north==

, Northwest Territories, and the Nunavut mainland. The 60th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 60 degrees north of Earth's equator. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean. In Canada, the 60th parallel forms the southern mainland boundary of the northern territories of Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut with the western provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Accordingly, "north of 60" is an expression often used for the territories. The 60th Parallel Territorial Park is on Mackenzie Highway between Alberta and Northwest Territories and it has a visitor centre there in the homeland of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation and the North Slave Métis Alliance. Between 1776 and 1950, the 60th parallel formed the southern limit of the Royal Greenland Trade Department's exclusive monopoly on trade near the Dano-Norwegian and later Danish colonies of Greenland (1776–1782) and South Greenland (1782–1950). Although it lies approximately twice as far away from the Equator as from the North Pole, the 60th parallel is half as long as the Equator line, due to the cosine of 60 degrees being 0.5. This is where the Earth bulges halfway as much as on the Equator. At this latitude, the Sun is visible for 18 hours, 52 minutes during the June solstice and 5 hours, 52 minutes during the December solstice. The maximum altitude of the Sun is 53.44° on 21 June and 6.56° on 21 December. The maximum altitude of the Sun is > 15.00º in October and > 8.00º in November. The lowest latitude where white nights can be observed is approximately on this parallel. During the summer solstice, nighttime does not get beyond nautical twilight, a condition which lasts throughout the month of June. It is possible to view both astronomical dawn and dusk every day between August 22 and April 21. Around the world Malachy Tallack wrote a book, Sixty Degrees North: Around the World in Search of Home, about his travels along the general line of the parallel, starting and finishing at Shetland. Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 60° north passes through: : Notable cities and towns on 60°N • Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada • Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada • Bergen, Vestland, Norway • Oslo, Norway • Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland • Espoo, Uusimaa, Finland • Saint Petersburg, Russia ==See also==